From the beginning, I struggled with this book. The characters didn't really grab a hold of me and drawn me into their worlds. For me, I needed this for this type of story to work for me. Yet, after stumbling a bit in the first several chapters, I actually started to enjoy the story. Lilia was a warm character. She opened her heart and forgave her husband and welcomed Toby. Although, it would have been hard to not fall for Toby. He was so precious and as Lilia learned, it was not his fault. Speaking of Lilia's husband, Graham, I did not hate him. This is because he was understanding of Lilia's feelings and did not push himself or Toby on her. Graham's mother, Ellen, I thought she was fine but I never fully embraced her. She was still a little closed off for me. Marina was good.

Yet, to be honest, I can't fully express my feelings about Marina or the rest of the story as after getting half way into the story, I did start losing interest; despite Toby. After that, I skimmed the rest of the story. This was not a favorite of mine from this author but I have enjoyed the previous books I have read from the author. So, I hope to find that magic again from the next book.

7 Women’s Fiction Best Bets for June 2017
Scarlettleigh
“You can choose your friends but you sho' can't choose your family, an' they're still kin to you no matter whether you acknowledge 'em or not, and it makes you look right silly when you don't.”
-Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
Sometimes our family is the wind beneath our wings and sometimes they’re our biggest heartache. Ditto for friends—because in some cases we’re blessed with lifetime friends but other times—well, like choosing lovers, we don’t always choose that wisely. We’re blinded –taken in by fool’s gold.
This month’s selection is all about relationships but the stories are so varied. That is what I love about women’s fiction. No matter your age or your life situation there is a book for you —from the traditional women’s fiction type stories to the niche stories that entertain with humorous and satirical takes on societal norms.

The Street Where You Live by Roisin Meaney
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It's the hottest heatwave in years and as preparations for an end-of-summer concert get underway, the notes soar. But so, too, do the scandals and secrets ...
Choir member Molly sees a young boy who she's convinced is her grandson, but how does she find out the truth when her son Philip ran away to New Zealand five years ago?
Meanwhile Molly's daughter Emily has fallen in love for the second time in her life. Except this time it's with the wrong man ...
While choir leader Christopher, who closed off his heart to love a long time ago, is making do with snatched trysts with new member Jane - who also happens to be married. But then American author Freddie moves in next door and suddenly things begin to get complicated.
As performance night approaches, the heatwave breaks and members of the choir discover that their lives intertwine more than they could ever have imagined. But are the inhabitants of the town ready for what happens next?
Strengths: Staycation appeal; Multi-faceted characters; Uplifting ending
Measure of Love: Teaspoon
Mood: Poignant
Why You Should Read this: I’m a big fan of Roisin Meaney books. One reason, of course, is the setting—idyllic Ireland. Meaney does a wonderful job of writing about everyday people dealing with all the complexities of life.

The Summer Visitors by Fiona O’Brien
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American documentary maker Daniel O'Connell is renting the beautiful Cable Lodge for the summer. He's hoping that three months researching an old cable station in a remote village on the south-west coast of Ireland will help him and his traumatised son finally move on from the accident that killed his wife.
Meanwhile local hotel owner's daughter Annie Sullivan has communication problems of her own to deal with. Home on sabbatical from her life in London, she's keeping a secret from her dysfunctional family and trying to save them and the hotel from their latest drama.
As summer draws to a close in Ballyanna, both Dan and Annie are forced to confront the pasts they've been escaping. But will they be able to grasp the future that lies ahead?
Strengths: Staycation Appeal; Surprising twists; Uplifting ending
Measure of Love: Teaspoon
Mood: Poignant
Why You Should Read this: O’Brien is new author for me, but I’ll definitely be reading more of her books. Started out as a pretty traditional story, but O’Brien surprises with an appealing touch of magical realism and an unexpected plot twist.

The Swallow’s Nest by Emilie Richards
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Three women fight for the chance to raise the child they've all come to love
When Lilia Swallow's husband, Graham, goes into remission after a challenging year of treatment for lymphoma, the home and lifestyle blogger throws a party. Their best friends and colleagues attend to celebrate his recovery, but just as the party is in full swing, a new guest arrives. She presents Lilia with a beautiful baby boy, and vanishes.
Toby is Graham's darkest secret—his son, conceived in a moment of despair. Lilia is utterly unprepared for the betrayal the baby represents, and perhaps more so for the love she begins to feel once her shock subsides. Now this unasked-for precious gift becomes a life changer for three women: Lilia, who takes him into her home and heart; Marina, who bore and abandoned him until circumstance and grief changed her mind; and Ellen, who sees in him a chance to correct the mistakes she made with her own son, Toby's father.
A custody battle begins, and each would-be mother must examine her heart, confront her choices and weigh her dreams against the fate of one vulnerable little boy. Each woman will redefine family, belonging and love—and the results will alter the course of not only their lives, but also the lives of everyone they care for.
Strengths: Complex exploration of motherhood and marriage; Multi-generational family; Uplifting ending
Measure of Love: Teaspoon
Mood: Poignant
Why You Should Read this: While this story is a bit on the predictable side, it’s a great mixture of a complex issues, romance, and character growth. Definite beach book appeal!

Touch by Courtney Maum
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Sloane Jacobsen is one of the world's most powerful trend forecasters (she was the foreseer of “the swipe”), and global fashion, lifestyle, and tech companies pay to hear her opinions about the future. Her recent forecasts on the family are unwavering: the world is over-populated, and with unemployment, college costs, and food prices all on the rise, having children is an extravagant indulgence.
So it’s no surprise when the tech giant Mammoth hires Sloane to lead their groundbreaking annual conference, celebrating the voluntarily childless. But not far into her contract, Sloane begins to sense the undeniable signs of a movement against electronics that will see people embracing compassion, empathy, and “in-personism” again. She’s struggling with the fact that her predictions are hopelessly out of sync with her employer's mission and that her closest personal relationship is with her self-driving car when her partner, the French “neo-sensualist” Roman Bellard, reveals that he is about to publish an op-ed on the death of penetrative sex—a post-sexual treatise that instantly goes viral. Despite the risks to her professional reputation, Sloane is nevertheless convinced that her instincts are the right ones, and goes on a quest to defend real life human interaction, while finally allowing in the love and connectedness she's long been denying herself.
A poignant and amusing call to arms that showcases her signature biting wit and keen eye, celebrated novelist Courtney Maum’s new book is a moving investigation into what it means to be an individual in a globalized world.
Strengths: Sardonic look at technology and society; Imaginative storytelling; Uplifting ending;
Measure of Love: Teaspoon
Mood: Satirical
Why You Should Read this: Outrageous scenarios? Yes and No! It’s written humorously but it also makes you stop and think. Lots of food for thought and such a quirky, compelling story!

City Mouse by Stacey Lender
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Priced out of their Manhattan neighborhood, Jessica and Aaron move with their young daughters to the one place Jessica swore she'd never go: the suburbs. But to Jessica's surprise, life in the commuter belt makes a great first impression. She quickly falls in with a clique of helpful mom friends who welcome her with pitchers of margaritas, neighborhood secrets, and a pair of hot jeans that actually fit.

Still, it's hard to keep up in a crowd where everyone competes for the most perfectly manicured home and latest backyard gadgets. And what's worse, as the only working mom in her circle, Jessica sometimes feels disconnected and alone. So she's thrilled when she's invited to a moms-only weekend at the beach, which she assumes will mean new opportunities for real talk and bonding. Instead, the trip turns into a series of eye-opening lessons, and Jessica must decide if she's strong enough to be honest with herself about the sort of life she really wants.
Strengths: Humorous scenarios; Sardonic take on mommy-cliques and materialism, Uplifting ending
Measure of Love: Dash
Mood: Sardonic & Humorous
Why You Should Read this: Such a relatable book—even if you don’t live in the suburbs. Because we all want to fit in and have friends. Message of being true to yourself will stay with you even after you close the book!

The Shark Club by Ann Kidd Taylor
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One summer day on the beach in Florida, two extraordinary things happen to Maeve Donnelly. First, she is kissed by Daniel, the boy of her dreams. Then, she is bitten by a blacktip shark.

Eighteen years later, Maeve has thrown herself into her work as a world-traveling marine biologist discovering more about the minds of misunderstood sharks. But when Maeve returns home to the legendarily charming and eccentric Hotel of the Muses where she was raised by her grandmother, she finds more than just the blood orange sunsets and key lime pies she’s missed waiting for her.
While Maeve has always been fearless in the water, on land she is indecisive. A chance meeting on the beach with a plucky, irresistible little girl who is just as fascinated by the ocean as Maeve was growing up leaves her at a crossroads: Should she re-kindle her romance with Daniel, the first love she left behind when she dove into her work? Or indulge in a new romance with her colleague, Nicholas, who turns up in her hometown to investigate an illegal shark-finning operation?
Set against the intoxicating backdrop of palm trees, calypso bands, and perfect ocean views, The Shark Club is a story of the mysterious passions of one woman’s life: her first love and new love; the sea and sharks that inhabit it.
Strengths: Complex relationships; Compelling storytelling; Uplifting ending
Measure of Love: Teaspoon
Mood: Poignant
Why You Should Read this: I’m one of those people that are afraid to go into the water, but Kidd writes such a fascinating tale on a feared animal. Great exploration of family, letting go and moving forward.

Before Everything by Victoria Redel
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Before Everything is a celebration of friendship and love between a group of women who have known each another since they were girls. They’ve faced everything together, from youthful sprees and scrapes to mid-life turning points. Now, as Anna, the group’s trailblazer and brightest spark, enters hospice, they gather to do what they’ve always done—talk and laugh and help each other make choices and plans, this time in Anna’s rural Massachusetts home. Helen, Anna’s best friend and a celebrated painter, is about to remarry. The others face their own challenges—Caroline with her sister’s mental health crisis; Molly with a teenage daughter’s rebellion; Ming with her law practice—dilemmas with kids and work and love. Before Everything is as funny as it is bittersweet, as the friends revel in the hilarious mistakes they’ve seen each another through, the secrets kept, and adventures shared. But now all sense of time has shifted, and the pattern of their lives together takes on new meaning. The novel offers a brilliant, emotionally charged portrait, deftly conveying the sweep of time over everyday lives, and showing how even in difficult endings, gifts can unfold. Above all it is an ode to friendship, and to how one person shapes the journeys of those around her.
Strengths: Exploration of lifelong friendships; Multi-faceted Characters; Authentic scenarios
Measure of Love: Dash
Mood: Poignant
Why You Should Read this: It’s life. Excellent examination of acceptance and honoring others wishes and truly being there for a friend.

https://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com/blogs/2017/06/best-womens-fiction-june

I really enjoyed the first half of this book. The story moved along at a decent pace, the characters were great, it was a delightful read. However, I only gave this book four stars because I felt the second half of the book was just way too long. I felt like it could have been about a third of the length it was and we still would have gotten all the pertinent information.

Our characters are all very strong-willed women. One of them doesn’t seem as strong-willed, but she finds her way and finds her backbone along the way. I enjoyed the interactions between the women and between the men in their lives for the most part. I’m not big on conflict, so of course those pieces weren’t so fun, but strong-willed women make some of the best characters in the world because they know what they want and they go for it with no punches pulled and no holds barred.

The setting descriptions were enough that I was able to imagine the places where the story took place and weren’t too overdone. I’m not always easy to please in this area, so it was nice to see these done well.

As I said above, the pace in the first half of the book was great. We moved along steadily and yet we weren’t moving along so fast that we missed important details. However, I really felt like the second half of the book dragged on and on. I felt that the second half could’ve been cut down to even a third of its original size and we still would have had enough details about the custody struggle.

The overall writing style is good. The prose flows well from section to section, chapter to chapter. I still recommend this book for those who like to read women’s fiction. Perhaps your view on the second half of the book will vary from mine!

A wonderful story about 3 women who all want custody of the same baby, Toby, but for different reasons. I really wanted to hate Ellen, the grandmother, as she was only thinking of herself not the baby and his needs. I loved Lilia, who didn’t really want the baby since her husband had an affair that resulted in his birth, but eventually realized that Toby was all she wanted. Marina, the birth mother, had a hard upbringing, drops Toby off with Lilia and disappears for a year before deciding she might want Toby back - partially egged on by Ellen. It’s all about family, that’s the key theme in the story and I love Emilie’s books for that reason. Yet another story that I will read again and again!

This review is based on a galley copy from netgalley, courtesy of the publisher. All opinions are my own.

The first chapter pulled me into the book and as I finished the last chapter I just might have been reaching for a tissue and wiping away a tear or two. I'd just been on a roller coaster ride about three women and their love or need for one child - Toby. Three women - I know which one I liked and wanted to be Toby's mother, but I also ( a little reluctantly I might add) could see the motivations of the other two. Quite frankly though I'd be very reluctant to release one beautiful, innocent child into their hands.

Lilia grew up in Hawaii, she has a wonderful extended family background, and I loved her approach to life and love. She receives a series of knock backs yet once she makes the choice it is Toby that is the centre, his happiness and needs are important. Marina having dumped Toby into Lilia's hands comes to regret it and makes a play to retrieve him, I don't think I'd want to be friends with her, but she has had a tough upbringing and I did feel sympathetic towards her. Ellen is a sad character I thought, totally having subjugated who she is to her husband and his cold, hard ways. Really she has had no life, and her ideas about child rearing were more than a little sobering.

I enjoyed how the story moved along, exploring the lives of the three women, getting to know them and their motivations and challenges. As I did I wondered where Toby would end up, what would the law decide? I know what I wanted, but would that happen?

As I said above the ending moved me to tears, was it exactly as I had hoped? No, not really but perhaps even better. I liked the growth in all three characters, very realistic and not over the top, but promising some new possibilities.

The book is titled The Swallow's Nest, this is where Lilia has made her home, a warm cosy place that I enjoyed visualising. At the beginning of some chapters there are little snippets about cliff swallows and how their approach to chick rearing linked with the book I was reading. It was very apt and also made me want to go off and read about these swallows as well!

In short, a well written, heart and mind engaging story that had me from page one until the very end.

The newest captivating novel from Emilie Richards draws you deeply into the lives of three women who want custody of a little boy. It’s an emotional read covering betrayal, illness, death, friendship, suppressed love, and inner strength. Each woman faces different circumstances and Richards was able to bring out my sympathy for each woman as the layers were uncovered. This is a wonderfully written novel. The Sparrow’s Nest is a novel that will you need to sit, relax, read and soak up the words. One of the best women’s fiction I have read in quite some time.

Emilie Richards is one of my favorite authors and The Swallow's Nest is yet another example of why I like her books.

Most of Emilie Richard's characters are very human, with good and bad sides. Lilia loves her husband but is understandably upset when she learns he has cheated on her, especially considering that she has basically put her life on hold for the last year to care for him as he underwent cancer treatment. I do like her attitude that what happened wasn't the baby's fault and that the baby shouldn't be the one who pays for it.

I wanted to dislike Marina, Toby's birth mother--I mean what kind of woman sleeps with a married man and then abandons her baby? On the other hand, she could have had an abortion, and she didn't. She could have surrendered Toby for adoption, or hurt him, and she didn't do those things either. Marina has had a tough life and by the end of the book I really felt sorry for her.

At first I felt sorry for Ellen, then I dislked her and, at the end, was cheering for her, just a little.

As a blogger I enjoyed reading Lilia's take on events in the story via her blog.

This book explores the love of a mother for her child and the different forms it can take. It looks at what happens when children don't feel loved and the differnt ways love can be expressed. I loved this book and highly recommend it. Grade: A.

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.